There’s a “simple living” subreddit which is largely about finding your own personal way to grab this “easy life” even if the whole world isn’t doing so. The fact is that a person CAN live a life our previous generations would consider very nice, at a low cost. It would just look like poverty by 2025 standards. The main trick is to ignore all the new shit that has been invented since that generation was around, and cease caring what anyone else thinks of your home, clothes, whatever. Stop buying fast fashion and get real durable clothes from thrift stores. Grow as much food at home as you can - it’s a lot more than you think. Find work you can walk or bike to even if it pays less. Read books from the library for entertainment or get involved in community theater. Stop thinking you need to fly somewhere in a plane twice a year or you aren’t having any fun. And just check out of all the other bullshit. No one is forcing you to play the latest AAA games on an ultra wide monitor, buy endless shit on Amazon, DoorDash takeout food, doomscroll on a maxi-phone… And most people are far too attached to the area they happen to have lived in for a while. If you’re willing to do some research and move you can find a pocket to live the simple life in.